3 Ways to Root Android 7.0 Nougat on Nexus Running Official AOSP

If you own a Nexus phone then chances are you have already updated your device with the latest official Android 7.0 Nougat firmware. This brings the newer firmware build number NRD90M to the Nexus range including the Nexus 5X, 6P, 9, 6, Nexus Player, and the Pixel C. Unfortunately, Nexus 5 and 7 were left behind. This has been a game-changing week for the Android community as you can now expect the new software for your Android device soon enough. It may either come officially from a manufacturer or unofficially from developers like CyanogenMod. Just like we saw the unofficial support for the Nexus 5 and the Nexus 7 today. As the new AOSP source code is now available to developers, soon you may find Cyanogen 14 based custom ROMS releasing for several devices. Hence, to be ready, you may need to be rooted and also setup a custom recovery like TWRP on your device. So that once the CM 14 based ROMS are available, you can grab them as soon as possible.

Moreover, now that you have updated your Nexus device, you may be missing the root privileges for Android. After all, what’s the joy of Android without tinker it? So here are 3 unique procedures to root your Nexus device running on Nougat. First is the usual TWRP and SuperSU procedure that requires you to first setup the recovery and then flash the SU package. SuperSU v2.76 has been confirmed and tested working with Android 7.0 Nougat on Nexus. However, Chainfire may soon release a new SuperSU version to officially support the new AOSP update. Moreover, It requires a bit of technical knowledge like ADB, Fastboot, etc. Hence, to be safe, you can make use of other two methods to root like the CF-Auto-Root or the Nexus Rot Toolkit. These have updated to support Android 7.0 OS. All these procedures require you to unlock the bootloader first. So head over to the instructions below to root.

Download latest TWRP 3.0.2.1+ for all Nexus devices

Warning: Once you root or install a custom package like TWRP, your warranty may be void. Even though these procedures have been tested working, you should still be cautious. We at AndroidSage won’t be liable for any damage to your Android device. Reader’s discretion is advised.

Before you proceed with the instructions, first you will need to go through the following prerequisites/requirements. These are mandatory for any rooting procedure.

Prerequisites to root Nexus on any Android version

1. Verify your device for compatibility. The listed firmware is compatible with Nexus series devices only.

2. Enable USB Debugging on your device. To do so, go to Settings>About Phone> Tap on the Build Number several times until you get a new Developer Options in theSettings. Open Developer Options and enable USB Debugging from there. Trust the connection by allowing it when you connect it to your PC for the first time.

3. Now go to Settings>Developer Options and Enable OEM Unlock. This is very important if you are running Nexus devices

4. You will need to unlock the bootloader on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat firmware on your Nexus. The procedure is given below in the first method.

6. Also, download and install the latest Nexus/Google USB drivers in order to make the procedure working flawlessly so you don’t come across any connectivity issues or errors.

Method 1: How to Root Nexus on official AOSP Android 7.0 Nougat with TWRP and SuperSU?

The bootloader is the first step towards the advanced development of an Android device and to tinker with your device. So in order to setup TWRP onto your Nexus device, first make sure your device’s bootloader is unlocked. Follow the instructions below to first unlock the bootloader then install TWRP, and ultimately root the device with latest SuperSU.

Note: If you have already unlocked the bootloader on your Nexus device, then directly head over to the instructions to flash the TWRP recovery. Download and flash the latest TWRP v3.0.2.1 from the link given in the download section. It will help your bypass the Forced Encryption and dm-verity while installing custom files via TWRP or even while booting.

Instructions: Unlock bootloader on any Nexus device

Step 1: First, make sure you have been through the requirements section above. It will help you in all 3 procedures.

Step 2: Make sure that you setup ADB and Fastboot on your PC (files in the prerequisites). Trust the connection by checking “Always allow from this computer” when you plug in your Android device to your PC for the first time.

Step 3: Now keep the device plugged in and open acommand prompt or terminal on your PC. You can simply click the address/location bar in Windows and type “cmd”. Alternatively, hold the shift key on the keyboard and right-click on an empty space and select “Open command window here” option to launch a cmd window.

Step 4: Boot your Android device into the bootloader or Fastboot mode. To do so, issue the following command through cmd or terminal. Use code while your device is still connected:

adb reboot bootloader

(Alternatively, you can also manually boot into it using the hard key combination like Power+Volume Down while the device is turned off.)

Step 5: Once you boot into the fastboot mode (bootloader mode), issue the following command in the command prompt to check your device connectivity. It should provide you with some device code. Check screenshots below.

fastboot devices

Step 6: This is optional, but you can still proceed. Now issue the following command to get the bootloader unlock status on your device.

fastboot oem unlock-info

Note: Check the bootloader status. If it’s locked, then issue the following command to unlock it. (This will reset your device and you will lose all data and apps.)

This is the older unlock bootloader code used for Nexus 5, 6, 9, 7, etc. For newer devices, check below.

fastboot oem unlock

For newer Nexus devices, the bootloader code has now changed since Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. For devices like Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X, use the following code:

fastboot flashing unlock

Note: Reboot, and check the unlock status again. (Optional)

Congratulations! You have successfully unlocked the bootloader. Now you can easily setup a custom TWRP recovery and flash SuperSU using the following instructions.

Instructions: Install TWRP and Root Nexus on Android 7.0 Nougat

This will first flash the TWRP recovery. Once that is done, you can flash SuperSU via TWRP. We have a detailed tutorial and alternate methods to flash the TWRP recovery. You can either click here if you need more instructions or just follow the instructions below.

Step 1: Reboot your device once and reboot back into the fastboot mode (Bootloader mode) See steps 1 to 5 in above method.

Step 2: Navigate to the location where you have placed the Nexus TWRP recovery image file. Rename the recovery file to a simple one, like recovery.img. While the folder with recovery.img file is open, launch command prompt or terminal.

Step 3: Now flash the recovery image. Issue the following command for that.

fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

Note that, you need to use the correct file name with proper extension.

Step 4: Wait until the recovery gets installed.

Once the installation completes, you can now enjoy your new firmware. Alternatively, while, on Mac OS, you can issue “./fastboot flash recovery recovery.img” command or on Linux type “sudo fastboot flash recovery recovery.img” to flash the TWRP.

How to Root Nexus on Android 7.0 Nexus using TWRP?

Make sure you have TWRP installed. Once you install TWRP, it’s time to root.

Place the latest SuperSU package in your device’s internal storage or SDcard.

Boot your device into the custom TWRP recovery. For that, turn off your device completely and hold volume down and power buttons for a few seconds.

Once into TWRP, take a full Nandroid backup.

Tap the Install button and select the SuperSU file.

Swipe through the confirmation action below and start flashing. Once done, reboot to system.

This is one of the simplest and most effective ways to root any Android device. CFAR method has been tested working on Nexus. This is not a new method. It is just not popular as it only installs the SuperSU binaries and the Super User app on your Android device. So using this method you will get pure root and nothing else. So for users who do not need a custom recovery like TWRP can use CF-Auto-Root method. However, you will still need to unlock the bootloader on your Nexus first.

CF-AutoRoot can be said to be the rooting method for beginners. This will let you retain the pure AOSP (Android 7.0 Nougat) experience intact with additional root access. That way, you can use root apps without heavily modifying the system. CF-Root is mainly used with stock firmware. As the official Android 7.0 Nougat on Nexus is completely stock, you can clearly use CFAR method. Make sure you don’t use it on custom ROMS.

Download CF-Auto-Root CFAR files for Nexus

The CFAR files have been updated for the official Android 7.0 Nougat on Nexus devices.

Instructions: How to use CFAR to root Nexus?

All you need to do is boot your device into bootloader mode and flash CF Auto Root package for your Nexus device by running the root-windows.bat file for Windows, root-linux.sh file on Linux and root-mac.sh file for Mac users. Look below.

Go through the prerequisite from above. Like, unlock bootloader, etc.

Download the CFAR zip file.

Extract the ZIP file

Connect the device to PC and let the drivers install. Accept Allow connection for USB debugging.

Boot your device in bootloader/fastboot mode. Usually this can be done by turning your device off, then holding VolUp+VolDown+Power to turn it on. Alternatively, use command “adb reboot-bootloader” if the device doesn’t boot automatically.

Now run the following files according to your machine type.

For Windows: — Run root-windows.bat

For Linux — chmod +x root-linux.sh — Run root-linux.sh

For Mac OS X — chmod +x root-mac.sh — Run root-mac.sh

Method 3: How to Root Nexus on official Android 7.0 Nougat using Nexus Root Toolkit?

This is a graphic tool designed for beginners who are too afraid to manually enter any command through terminal or command prompt. It is basically a Windows software that can perform operations like, flash OTA updates, flash factory images, unlock the bootloader, root, TWRP, and much more. However, even to use that software, you still need to go through some technical stuff. Just because the software says root doesn’t mean it will just root within seconds. You first need to unlock bootloader, follow instructions on the software and then proceed. Check out the Nexus bootloader unlocking procedure from above and then proceed with the following software and tutorial. However, it will root the Nexus device, but you may come across the forced encryption issue. To disable or bypass encryption on Android 7.0 Nougat, manual flash: All Nexus no-force encrypt boot.img (factory reset post-flash).

Download latest Nexus Root Toolkit that supports Android 7.0 Nougat

NRT 2.1.8 changelog · Major automation updates to backend dev-machine systems to speed support of future android releases. · Extended support to official Nougat for the recently released factory images (As of this post; Pixel C, Nexus Player, Nexus 9 Wifi – the rest will be added as they are released). · Quick fix for XP users to revert to compatible legacy sdk platform tools (live progress percentages on push and pull operations wont show for XP users).

Instructions:

Open the Nexus root toolkit

Connect the Nexus device to PC

Hit the root option on NTR

Follow instruction on screen

That’s it. Hope you enjoy your root. Follow and like us on social media. For queries either comment down below or leave a question in the forums.